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A review by betwixt_the_pages
The Clock Tower and the Scientist: An Allasneda Mystery by Sascha Hannig
3.0
Rating: 3.25/5 Penguins (rounded down)
Quick Reasons: fast-paced but slightly confusing plotline; the world building was interesting, but hard to follow; intriguing characters with mostly believable motivations; rich, lush prose; not a happily ever after....but will leave you thinking at the end
HUGE thanks to Sascha Hannig, Editorial Pluma Digital Publishing, and Hayling Bookstorm for the title! My review is voluntarily written and in no way altered or impacted by the gesture.
I really, really wanted to like this read, Penguins. It's not the same genre I typically go for; the prose was richly detailed and lushly imagined. The story was fast-paced. The characters were intriguing, with believable motivations. There was fantasy, paranormal happenings, and steampunk themes woven throughout. The ending was not a happily-ever-after...but left me with a lot to ponder and reflect on. I was entertained, and it was super easy to "fall" into this world and stay there for the duration (which, for how short the read is, really wasn't that long.)
"We are at a point between worlds," clarified Alice. "The world where the dead we didn't leave behind stay, an inert and energetic limbo," she clarified to her.
Unfortunately, this just wasn't the right read for me. I found a lot of the plot to be lacking in the WHYs. We jumped straight into the heart of this story, making me feel as if maybe there is a former book I should have read--as if this were book 2 or even 3 in a series, instead of a "stand alone." I had a hard time keeping pace with what was happening, because the story kept shifting on me in what seemed to be mid-thought or mid-context explanation. While for the most part I was able to decipher and understand, I found myself wishing the story were more seamless and less haphazard feeling. This took away a lot of my ability to suspend my disbelief, instead finding myself trying to figure out the pieces I felt I was missing from the story.
Still, this was an entertaining and fast-paced read, and just because it wasn't the journey for me, does not mean it won't be the journey for YOU. I would recommend this to lovers of gaslamp mysteries with paranormal fantasy elements, and those who don't mind a book ending on a NOT so happy note. Are you ready to solve the mystery of the Clock Tower, Penguins? Allasneda awaits you.
Quick Reasons: fast-paced but slightly confusing plotline; the world building was interesting, but hard to follow; intriguing characters with mostly believable motivations; rich, lush prose; not a happily ever after....but will leave you thinking at the end
HUGE thanks to Sascha Hannig, Editorial Pluma Digital Publishing, and Hayling Bookstorm for the title! My review is voluntarily written and in no way altered or impacted by the gesture.
I really, really wanted to like this read, Penguins. It's not the same genre I typically go for; the prose was richly detailed and lushly imagined. The story was fast-paced. The characters were intriguing, with believable motivations. There was fantasy, paranormal happenings, and steampunk themes woven throughout. The ending was not a happily-ever-after...but left me with a lot to ponder and reflect on. I was entertained, and it was super easy to "fall" into this world and stay there for the duration (which, for how short the read is, really wasn't that long.)
"We are at a point between worlds," clarified Alice. "The world where the dead we didn't leave behind stay, an inert and energetic limbo," she clarified to her.
Unfortunately, this just wasn't the right read for me. I found a lot of the plot to be lacking in the WHYs. We jumped straight into the heart of this story, making me feel as if maybe there is a former book I should have read--as if this were book 2 or even 3 in a series, instead of a "stand alone." I had a hard time keeping pace with what was happening, because the story kept shifting on me in what seemed to be mid-thought or mid-context explanation. While for the most part I was able to decipher and understand, I found myself wishing the story were more seamless and less haphazard feeling. This took away a lot of my ability to suspend my disbelief, instead finding myself trying to figure out the pieces I felt I was missing from the story.
Still, this was an entertaining and fast-paced read, and just because it wasn't the journey for me, does not mean it won't be the journey for YOU. I would recommend this to lovers of gaslamp mysteries with paranormal fantasy elements, and those who don't mind a book ending on a NOT so happy note. Are you ready to solve the mystery of the Clock Tower, Penguins? Allasneda awaits you.